No single telco has nationwide coverage -Communications Minister

No telecommunications network in Ghana gives nationwide coverage to subscribers, the Minister for Communications, Dr Omane Boamah has said.

According to him, advertisements which portrayed one telco or the other as having coverage in every corner of the country were only deceptions.

Currently, six telecom companies operate in the country; MTN, Vodafone, Airtel, Tigo, Expresso and Glo with each having  46.95 per cent, 21.26 per cent, 11.44 per cent, 13.78 per cent, 1 per cent and 6 per cent of the market share respectively as at the end of July 2013.

In spite of the rapid growth, the telecommunications sector still faces major challenges especially in the area of providing quality services to subscribers, thus resulting in the sanctioning of these operators.

Speaking on Accra-based Asempa FM, the Minister said it was important for telecom service operators to inform the public of the particular areas where their coverage reached in order for them to make informed decisions when subscribing to one operator or the other.

He noted that none of the telecom companies could boast of giving coverage in the whole of Ghana, adding that, “Anytime there is an advert with the Ghana map painted with a particular colour it is a deception, because none, no single company can stand up and say that I cover the whole Ghana.”

“I’ve always said that when marketing, inform the public of the particular areas where coverage reaches in order for the public to be informed in their decision to subscribe to a particular network,” he said.

He indicated that during his visits to the various telecom companies, they gave the assurance that they would reinvest about 15-18 per cent of their capital into infrastructure and expressed the hope that that promise would be abided by.

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